[RCL] Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15; Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31 If you have ever had occasion to stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, you know that its vastness is difficult to take in. The distances and depths appear unreal to human eyes unaccustomed to such magnitude. Our brains, dazzled and dismayed…

[RCL] Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; Psalm 79:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13 Jesus offers money management advice in our Gospel reading, saying, “Make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes.” This does not sound like solid investment advice, does it? Follow that…

[RCL] Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10 In these parables, we almost always look at the lost sheep or the lost coin. We imagine ourselves as the one lost and Jesus leaving all the others to find us. Or perhaps we imagine ourselves as part of the obedient flock, the ones…

[RCL] Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33 Our gospel today begins with some of Jesus’ most controversial words in the New Testament. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” That sounds pretty intimidating!…

[RCL] Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1, 10-16; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14 As their big event reaches its conclusion, the host and hostess look weary. It is not the tired contentedness that follows putting on an enjoyable event, but something different, a feeling of sadness. The turnout was great from their personal A-list of relatives,…

[RCL] Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17 Almost every call narrative in scripture comes with a protest. Moses is famous for his protest. It’s multiple. He has reason after reason of why he might not be fit to lead God’s people out of Egypt, a whole chapter full of reasons in fact. Wouldn’t…